Arab News | Alcaraz through in straight sets on Shanghai Masters opener

SHANGHAI: A moustached Carlos Alcaraz beat Juan Manuel Cerundolo 6-3, 6-3 to kick-start his title bid at the Shanghai Masters on Saturday, days after winning the Tokyo Open for his first trophy since returning from injury.

The Spanish star, seeded second, put on a dominant show to brush aside the 55th-ranked Argentinian in the second round in just 66 minutes.

“Really, really happy with the way I played today. It wasn’t easy,” said the 23-year-old former number one.

“Just had two days of preparation… I came from Tokyo, there were totally different conditions,” he added. “Just tried to play the best that I can.”

Sporting a fresh moustache, Alcaraz signed a camera “Moustache Team” following his win.

Asked by an on-court interviewer about the new look, Alcaraz said: “It’s gonna stay.”

“It was just about a bet,” he elaborated later, telling reporters his team agreed to match moustaches in Shanghai if he won in Tokyo.

“I wanted to play with a moustache, trying how I look with it,” he said.

“So let’s see until when we’re going to wear it, but right now we’re just having fun.”

He will play Zizou Bergs in the next round.

Earlier, Daniil Medvedev fought back to beat Germany’s Jan-Lennard Struff 4-6, 6-4, 6-3 in the second round, the Russian’s first match since being disqualified from the China Open.

Medvedev was defaulted from his semifinal against Novak Djokovic in Beijing for hitting a spectator with a ball and ended the 500-level event with zero ranking points and no prize money.

The former world number one said it was an accident.

Playing five days later in Shanghai, sixth-ranked Medvedev overcame an early wobble to hold off 59th-ranked Struff.

He sent down 21 aces to advance and will face Czech qualifier Dalibor Svrcina in the next round.

World number five Felix Auger-Aliassime also survived a scare, needing three hours to beat 77th-ranked Camilo Ugo Carabelli 4-6, 7-6 (7/1), 7-5.

The Canadian will play Spaniard Pablo Carreno Busta in the third round.

Several matches in the afternoon were suspended due to rain, but Taylor Fritz, Casper Ruud and Arthur Fils all went through as play resumed.